Union Common steakhouse now open in Midtown

Sharing is encouraged at Nashville's new steakhouse Union Common, which opened Monday in Midtown.

Chef and co-owner Bobby Benjamin has created a shared dining menu of steaks, seafood, snacks, spreads and more.

"I didn't want to just do a steakhouse," Benjamin said. "I don't think a steakhouse is very economically friendly.

"I've been wanting to do a small plate/shared plate concept for a long time."

Prices range from $10 for tacos to more than $100 for the Nashville Tower of fresh seafood or 24-ounce dry-aged porterhouse steak. Each dish is large enough for three or more customers to share.

"We're doing a 32-ounce rib-eye and we're charging $80, but when four people share that rib-eye, they're paying $20 a piece for a seven-ounce piece," Benjamin said. "You can't get that anywhere in the U.S."

Customers also can choose from several gluten-free and vegetarian options.

"My thing is my guests are the most important people to me, and I'm going to do what they want," Benjamin said.

The chef is also getting creative with the menu, serving even an "all-natural, humanely-raised, no-preservative Big Mac" wrapped in eco-friendly paper and stamped with the Union Common logo in edible ink.

"We just want people to have a blast," he said.

The Midtown art deco space seats 125, and includes a 27-seat bar serving an extensive list of wines, more than 100 whiskeys and imaginative cocktails.